Short Line Bridge

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Short Line Bridge
The south elevation of the Short Line Bridge, partially obscured by trees.
Carries	Minnesota Commercial Railway
Crosses	Mississippi River
Locale	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Maintained by	Canadian Pacific Railroad
Design	Truss bridge
Longest span	324 feet
Total length	1061 feet
Width	22 feet (2 tracks)
Clearance below	76 feet
Opening date	1902
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The Short Line Bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was built in 1902 by Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and was designed by American Bridge Company.

Below the top of the bridge, inside the metal frame.

The bridge is entirely within Minneapolis but the railroad line crosses into St. Paul less than a half mile to the east. The name "Short Line" comes from the Milwaukee Road's construction of a shorter, more direct connection between St. Paul and Minneapolis. Previously, the connection was made via a line that headed southwest along the Mississippi River, then turning north at Mendota and going northwest via Fort Snelling to downtown Minneapolis. The "Short Line" was part of a number of construction projects in the 1880s that also included a roundhouse and yard near the present-day junction of Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue, as well as a line to the west just north of Lake Street (today's Midtown Greenway).

As railroad traffic became less important in the Twin Cities in the latter part of the 20th century, the Milwaukee Road gradually abandoned several of its lines in the area. The bridge is still used today by the Minnesota Commercial Railway to service grain elevators along Hiawatha Avenue. There has been some discussion about using the bridge as a connection for the Midtown Greenway across the Mississippi River, but Canadian Pacific Railway (the successor to the Milwaukee Road) has not been receptive to the idea.

In July of 2006, there was a severe fire on the bridge, which caused $200,000 in damage, closing down rail traffic until it can be repaired. Originally, the cause was thought to have been small fireworks, but later appeared to be arson, by dousing the bridge in gasoline. The bridge, in the specific spot can only hold at maximum 50 pounds of weight. Local Authorities, to prevent people from hurting themselves, had patrolled each side of the bridge, from 6:00 pm - 6:00 am daily in the days following the event. Now, a fence blocking access to the bridge states that any trespassers will be fined and/or serve jail time. There had been a smaller fire, at an unknown date, prior to this incident.

A view of the underside of the bridge from the St. Paul side, showing the stone piers

[edit] See also

List of crossings of the Upper Mississippi River

[edit] References

Costello, Mary Charlotte (2002). Climbing the Mississippi River Bridge by Bridge, Volume Two: Minnesota. Cambridge, MN: Adventure Publications. ISBN 0-9644518-2-4.
Hofsommer, Don L. (2005). Minneapolis and the Age of Railways. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-4501-9.
Collins, Cyn (2005). The Bike Stops Here. The Bridge: Neighborhood News Spanning the River. Retrieved on 2006-04-19.
Murphy, Esme (2006). Police Say Fireworks Started Railway Bridge Fire. WCCO TV. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.